Shoe-stiffener.



H. H. BECKWITH.

SHOE STIFFENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1915.

IN\/E NTEJ HAH R J-LEIEBKWITH ATP: H N EYE,

MOE.

sHoE-sTIFFEiiEn.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, HARRY H. BEGKWITH, a'citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, in the countyof Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Shoe-Stiifeners, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has relation to stifieners for boots and shoes, of thetype in which, though relatively stiff and resilient, the blanks may besoftened so that when assembled with the remainder of the upper, theymay be molded to the shape of the last end, and permitted to set orharden so as to form a box or counter for the toe or heel portion of theshoe.

' According to the present invention, I mploy as a base or foundation abody of fibrous material such as wool felt, or its equivalent, which maybe readily saturated or impregnated with the stiffening compound. Thislatter compound consists ofsome substance or combination of substanceswhich will soften at moderate heat, and which will quickly harden oncooling. I

may employ Montan wax and refinedasphalt, as-pointed out in my LettersPatent No. 1,124,835, dated January 12, 1914, or I may employ any otherasphaltum or hydrocarbon blended with a resinous body and having asoftening point which will permit the impregnated body to become softand resinous substance; Any suitable "pressing" easily molded at lowtemperature-say from to- 200j F. After the sheet is imp'reg-,

nated with the stiffening compound and has cooled and hardened, it iscutinto blanks of the desired shapes or sizes, and one or more edgesthereofare skived, according to the use to which the blank is to be put. Thisskiving tends to disintegrate the impregnating compound to some extentand to produce a fine'dust therefrom which collects on the surfaces ofthe blank, and also tends to leave the skived edgesmore or less rough.Then,

for the purpose of" compacting the blanks,

rescaling the fibers thereof and imparting.

an exterior finish, I subject the blanks to a further operation. That isto say, I subject them to heat and pressure, and preferably apply afinishing coating of any suitable and heatingapparatus may, be employedfor the purpose. I'have found that desirable results maybe secured bypassing the blanks between Pressure rolls, of which one Specification ofIietters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 19116..

Application-filed July 28, 1915. Serial No. 42,330.

is provided with a shoe or covering of more or less yielding material.One or both of these rolls may be heated. The resinous dered, and theblanks are ready for shipment and use.

On the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 shows a box toe blank embodyingthe invention. Fig. 2 shows conventionally pressure rolls such as may beemployed in the final treatment of the blanks.

I have selected for illustration a box toe blank 3, having the skivededges 4, but the blank, if desired, may be formed for use as .1 acounter.

After the blank has been preliminarily formed as herein previouslydescribed, it

may be passed-between the pressure rolls which are conventionally shownin Fig. 2. The upper roll is shown as having a core 6 and a shoe orcovering 5 of some suitable cushioning or yielding material, such forexample as felt, which during its use hecomes more or less impregnatedwith the coating compound. This .roll may be internally heated, ifdesired, but I find that sufficient heat is imparted thereto from theroll 7. This latter roll is metallic and is chambered to permit thecirculation of steam or hot water therethrough, so as to raise itstemperature high enough to soften or partially soften the blanks passingbetween the'rolls. The rolls may be driven by any suitable means eitherat the same 01' at different peripheral speeds, and they are preferablyadjusted toward each other to impart the desired pressure to the facesof the blanks. By any suitable means, as by manual application from timeto time, the coating compound of carnauba' wax and paraflin wax, or ofMontan wax, is applied to the cushioned roll, and, by contact of the.rolls, is spread evenly on the peripheries of .resealed, as it were,and are coated with a thin layerof the resinous'compound. Preferably,though not necessarily, the skived faces or edges of the blanks arepresented to the metallic roll, as the blanks are passed through therolls, the cushion shoe of the upper roll yielding to pefmit the passageof the thicker portion of the blank.

As a result of the process or method of treatment. herein outlined, Iprovide as a new article of manufacture a blank of the characterdescribed, which is compacted by pressure, and which, if desired, has anadditional coating of resinous material, which is more or less absorbedby the fibrous body of the blank.

Having thus explained my new article of manufacture, and a way of makingthe same, without attempting to describe all of the forms in which itmay be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe stiffener, co'nsisting of askived blank of fibrous material containing a stiffening compoundadapted to be softened by moderate heat, said blank including its skivedportion being compacted by pressure applied subsequently to the skivingof the blank.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe stiffener consisting of askived-edge blank formed of fibrous material impregnated with astiflening compound adapted to be softened by moderate heat, said blankhaving on its body and skived portions an additional coating ofstiffening material adapted to be softened by heat.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe stifl'ener, consisting of askived edge blank of fibrous material containing a stiflening compoundadapted to be softened by moderate heat, said blank including its skivededge being compacted and having a surface coating of stifi'eningmaterial additional to said stiflening compound adapted to be softenedby heat. y

4. The herein described process which consists in impregnating a fibrousbody with a stiffening compound adapted to be soft-.

ened by moderate heat, cutting a shoe stiffener blank from said body,and then compacting such blank under conditions of heat and pressure.

5. The herein described process which consists in skiving a shoestifiener blank of fibrous material saturated with a stiffening compoundadapted to be softened under moderate heat, and then subjecting theskived blank to heat and pressure to compact the same.

6. The herein described process which consists in skiving 'a shoestiffener blank.

of fibrous'material saturated with a stiffening compound adapted to besoftened under moderate heat, subjecting said blank to heat andpressure, and simultaneously. applying a stiffening compound to thesurface of said blank.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HARRY H. BEOKWITH.

